If you follow this blog or my Instagram, it’s no secret that I love sweet potatoes. They’re one of my favorite foods year-round but I especially love them during the winter, when the cold weather almost drives me insane and I want something warm, flavorful, and reassuring.

I came across a recipe for twice roasted maple sweet potatoes with harissa, but I was too lazy yesterday to go get harissa. It also called for coconut yogurt, which I rarely have in the house. So I improvised and created a recipe based on what I had on hand.

Even though I’ve eaten sweet potatoes in almost every form, I’ve never had them twice roasted. Now that I have, there’s no turning back. O.m.g. Why roast them once when you can roast them twice?

I guess because it takes a lot of time. You have to leave the sweet potatoes in the oven for ALMOST TWO HOURS. If you’re like me and you have no patience, this is an excruciating task. To distract myself last night, I took a shower, blow dried my hair straight, practiced the guitar, and wasted time on Facebook.

But after two hours were over, I was rewarded with soft, smoky, crispy, caramelized sweet potatoes. I served them on a bed of Greek yogurt with toasted sesame seeds, a sprinkle of sea salt, and minced parsley. The Greek yogurt is key here: It cools down the potatoes and balances out the smoky maple flavor.

This is a recipe I’m going to keep in my repertoire. Eventually, I’ll buy harissa and make a spicy version of the dish. Until then, I’ll leave you with the recipe for these potatoes and a song to get you started. The song is also good for moments when you’re waiting for the sweet potatoes to finish cooking and you’re going out of your mind with excitement.

Twice Roasted Maple Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
toasted sesame seeds and minced parsley to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wrap two potatoes in tinfoil. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven. Roast the potatoes for about 90 minutes, or until they’re completely soft throughout when pierced with a knife.

Take the potatoes out of the oven, unwrap them, and let them cool slightly. Turn the oven up to 450 degrees F. Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

When the potatoes are cool enough, tear them into pieces (I used tongs). Whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, and salt in a medium bowl. Dip the potatoes in the mixture so it’s evenly coated. Place the potato on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces of potato.

Roast the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re crispy on the outside. Take a cup of Greek yogurt and smooth it into a shallow bowl with the back of a spoon. Place the potatoes on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Enjoy!